June 2014
Saurabh Chhatre, Tanuja Nesari, Gauresh Somani, Divya Kanchan, and Sadhana Sathaye

 

Abstract

Tribulus terrestris (family Zygophyllaceae), commonly known as Gokshur or Gokharu or puncture vine, has been used for a long time in both the Indian and Chinese systems of medicine for treatment of various kinds of diseases.

Its various parts contain a variety of chemical constituents which are medicinally important, such as flavonoids, flavonol glycosides, steroidal saponins, and alkaloids. It has diuretic, aphrodisiac, antiurolithic, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, absorption enhancing, hypolipidemic, cardiotonic, central nervous system, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antispasmodic, anticancer, antibacterial, anthelmintic, larvicidal, and anticariogenic activities. For the last few decades or so, extensive research work has been done to prove its biological activities and the pharmacology of its extracts.

The aim of this review is to create a database for further investigations of the discovered phytochemical and pharmacological properties of this plant to promote research. This will help in confirmation of its traditional use along with its value-added utility, eventually leading to higher revenues from the plant.

Keywords: Pharmacology, saponin, tribulus terrestris

 

Introduction

The genus Tribulus, belonging to family Zygophyllaceae, comprises about 20 species in the world, of which three species, viz. Tribulus cistoides, Tribulus terrestris, and Tribulus alatus, are of common occurrence in India.[1] Among them, T. terrestris (TT) is a well-patronized medicinal herb by Ayurvedic seers as well as by modern herbalists.[2] The plant is used individually as a single therapeutic agent or as a prime or subordinate component of many compound formulations and food supplements. It is an annual shrub found in Mediterranean, subtropical, and desert climate regions around the world, viz. India, China, southern USA, Mexico, Spain, and Bulgaria.[3,4]

 

Taxonomical classification

  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Division: Phanerogams
  • Subdivision: Angiospermae
  • Class: Dicotyledonae
  • Subclass: Polypetalae
  • Series: Disciflorae
  • Order: Giraniales
  • Family: Zygophyllaceae
  • Genus: Tribulus
  • Species: terrestris Linn.

 

Plant profile

TT is commonly known as Gokshur (Sanskrit); puncture vine, land (or small) caltrops (English); Gokharu (Hindi); Bethagokharu or Nanagokharu (Gujarathi); Nerinjil (Tamil); and Khar-e-khusak khurd (Urdu). It is distributed along a wide geographic perimeter. It is found all over India up to 11,000 ft in Kashmir, Ceylon, and all warm regions of both hemispheres. It is a common weed of the pasture lands, road sides, and other waste places, chiefly in hot, dry, and sandy regions including West Rajasthan and Gujarat in India.[5]

 

Botanical description T. terrestris

It is small prostrate, 10-60 cm height, hirsute or silky hairy shrub. Leaves are opposite, often unequal, paripinnate; pinnae from five to eight pairs, elliptical or oblong lanceolate [Figure 1]. Flowers are yellow in color. Its carpel fruits are of characteristic, stellate shape, somewhat round-shaped, compressed, five cornered, and covered with princkles of very light yellow color. There are several seeds in each crocus with transverse partitions between them. The seeds are oily in nature. When fresh, the root is slender, fibrous, cylindrical, frequently branched, bearing a number of small rootlets and is of light brown color. Fruits and roots are mainly used as a folk medicine for the treatment of various ailments. Root occurs in pieces, 7-18 cm long and 0.3-0.7 cm in diameter, cylindrical, fibrous, frequently branched, bearing a number of small rootlets, tough, woody, yellow to light brown in color, surface rough due to the presence of small nodules; fracture fibrous; odor aromatic; taste sweetish astringent. The fruits of the herb are known as “Chih-hsing” in China or goat head in USA. The spiky fruit looks like the cloven hoof of a cow and, hence, is known as go-ksura (cow-hoof). Fruits are faint greenish yellow with spines [Figure 2]. They are globose, consisting of five, nearly glabrous, muriculate, wedge-shaped, woody cocci, each with two pairs of hard sharp spines, one pair longer than the other. Tips of spines almost meet in pairs together forming pentagonal framework around the fruit. Outer surface of the schizocarp is rough. There are several seeds in each coccus, with transverse partitions between them. Odor of fruits is faintly aromatic and taste is slightly acrid.